I’ve had two life-changing blind dates in my life.  The first was in 1996 when I agreed to go out with a former classmate of a co-worker.   That leap of faith resulted in me walking down the aisle a year later and has led to annual celebrations of not just our wedding date but also that first, blind, date.  Maybe because that date worked out so well, I was very receptive to facilitating a blind…

This article was authored by Brian P. Walter and Lars T. Reed. Today, September 24, 2019, the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) announced a final rule modifying the weekly salary and annual compensation threshold levels for white collar exemptions to FLSA overtime requirements. The final rule will become effective on January 1, 2020.  It is critical for public education employers to become familiar with the new regulations, among other reasons because misclassification of employees as being…

Today, September 24, 2019, the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) announced a final rule modifying the weekly salary and annual compensation threshold levels for white collar exemptions to Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) overtime requirements. The final rule will become effective on January 1, 2020.  It is critical for employers to become familiar with the new regulations, among other reasons because misclassification of employees as being exempt from FLSA overtime requirements is a costly mistake. Overview…

January 1, 2020 may bring a number of significant changes to California law for public employers.  Following the end of the Legislative Session on September 13, 2019, a number of proposed laws were passed by the Assembly and Senate and now await final approval by Governor Gavin Newson.  He has until October 13, 2019 to sign or veto these remaining bills.  The following are some of the ones we have been monitoring closely that can…

Yesterday, on September 18, 2019, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill No. 5 (AB 5) into law.  AB 5 codifies the “ABC” test for determining independent contractor status that the California Supreme Court adopted in its 2018 decision in Dynamex Operations West, Inc. v. Superior Court (2018) 4 Cal.5th 903.  AB 5 adds section 2750.3 to the Labor Code and will become effective on January 1, 2020. Here is what your agency needs to know…

In the past twelve months, Governors Jerry Brown and Gavin Newson have signed two bills into law affecting harassment training requirements for all employers in California with five or more employees.  Below is a brief summary of these new laws as well as resources for employers to ensure compliance with harassment training requirements. In October 2018, Governor Jerry Brown signed a number of bills into law intended to further protect employees from workplace harassment and…

Below are our most viewed articles covering pressing issues and important matters. In case you missed them, read our top five blog posts here! To Be or Not to Be an Adverse Employment Action – What is Paid Administrative Leave (by Peter Brown, Stephanie Lower, and Brett A. Overby) This principle used to be clear – paid administrative leave was outside the scope of adverse employment action. This was based on court holdings that an…